July Is National Vehicle Theft Protection Month

CANTON, MA -- June 30, 2014: The International Association of Auto
Theft Investigators (IAATI) and LoJack Corporation are partnering to
promote the annual National Vehicle Theft Protection Month. Throughout
July, the top month of the year for vehicle theft, IAATI and LoJack are
partnering to educate vehicle owners and raise public awareness of the
issues and criminal behaviors around auto theft.

"The summer months of July and August are the top months of the year for
vehicle theft, which continues to be a significant problem throughout the
United States," said Christopher McDonold, member and past President of
IAATI. "Despite the common misconception that theft is often a result of
teenage joyriders, auto theft cases often involve professional thieves
using sophisticated technology and techniques. It is our goal to provide
vehicle owners with tips and information that will help protect them, as
well as their personal assets like laptops, GPS devices and cell phones,
that are often at risk due to being left behind in vehicles."

During July and August – the top months for auto theft –
vehicle owners must embrace their shared responsibility in protecting their
vehicles. LoJack and IAATI offer the following insights into how vehicles
are stolen today and what happens after a vehicle is stolen:

It's Not a Kid Joyriding Anymore: Many of today's car thieves are
seasoned criminals whose main occupation is to make a profit from stealing
vehicles. No Passport Needed: Professional car thieves are often linked to
large international crime rings that are more than happy to drive or export
their "new" car outside of the U.S. and sell them to unsuspecting
customers. LoJack and IAATI are seeing an increase in cars being stolen and
taken to U.S. ports. Criminals are loading and hiding vehicles in
containers to ship overseas. Sum of its Parts: Many vehicles stolen by
professional thieves are taken to chop shops, where they are dismantled and
then sold off as parts. Stolen auto parts account for millions of dollars a
year in profits for criminals. Older Cars Get Stolen Too: Criminals also
look for an older vehicle that can be stolen and stripped for its parts,
which can then be sold – piece by piece – to any local salvage
yard or online. Educational resources available to vehicle owners this July
and beyond include:

'LoDown With LoJack' – Auto Theft Trends video highlighting auto
theft trends from around the country and the importance of vehicle security
systems in combating today's sophisticated thief. Insight on these
important trends for vehicle owners to be aware of are from LoJack's Vice
President of Law Enforcement Patrick Clancy, Senior Director of Law
Enforcement D.J. Thompson and Law Enforcement Liaison Cal Deyermond. Tips
from IAATI and LoJack for consumers to help protect and keep their vehicle
assets safe. By adhering to a multi-layered theft prevention approach
– which includes common sense approaches, theft prevention and
immobilization devices, and tracking/recovery systems – consumers can
better protect their vehicles from theft. LoJack's Fifth Annual Vehicle
Theft Recovery Report and infographic reviewing auto theft trends over the
past year specific to vehicles equipped with the LoJackŪ Stolen Vehicle
Recovery System. "LoJack and IAATI are consistently focused on educating
drivers about the importance of vehicle safety and theft prevention, but
with the number of stolen vehicles heating up in July and August it's
important that vehicle owners are hyper-vigilant," said Patrick Clancy,
Vice President of Law Enforcement at LoJack Corporation. "IAATI has proven
to be an invaluable partnership for LoJack as we both work towards the same
goal: to enable law enforcement officials to recover stolen vehicles and
work together to help identify auto theft trends in order to better protect
vehicle owners."

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